Process for electrolytic reduction



Feb. 17, 1942.

JANES ET AL PROCESS FOR ELECTROLYTIC REDUCTION FIG.

Filed Dec. 17, 1938 FIG. 2

INVENTOR5 GEORGE W. HE ISE- MILTON ,JANES ATTORNEY 'taining an aqueous electrol Patented Feb. 17, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE raocnss Foe ELECTROLYTIC REDUCTION Milton Janos, Lakewood, and George W. Heise,

Rocky River, Ohio, assignors to National Carbon Company, Inc., a, corporation of New York Application December 17, 1938, Serial No. 246,281

- 10 Claims.

The invention relates to electrolytic processes wherein an impressed electric current is passed through a cell having insoluble electrodes immersed in an aqueous electrolyte. More particularly, the invention is a process for electrolytically reducing water soluble reducible compounds at J a cathode.

Although itwill be apparent as the following description proceeds that the invention is applicable, with appropriate modification, to numerous processes of the above-defined type, for-the sake of clarity and convenience the principles of the invention will be illustrated by specific reference to processes for reducing stannic salts, such as stannic chloride; alkaline metal nitrates; and alkaline metal bisulfltes.

In its broad aspect, the invention contemplates the use of porous electrodes to achieve certain desirable objects, including some or all of the following: v.

(a) To decrease the voltage drop through, and the power consumption of the cell;

(b) To provide for the removal of a product from the cell, promptly upon its formation;

(c) .To provide for the introduction and distribution of one or more materials, for instance reactants, into the cell at particularly efiective places; and

(d) To provide a convenient and appropriate situs for desired chemical reactions.

(e) To provide for a more ready and'rapid access of reactant to an active electrode surface.

These and other objects are achieved in a process which utilizes a porous insoluble cathode and an anode which may be porous in some instances or solid in'others, as will be explained.

The invention will be described with reference to the attached drawing in which:

Fig. 1 represents diagrammatically in vertloal cross-section an electrolytic cell container I ll'con- H in which are may be reduced at a porous insoluble cathode I! through which catholyte ll containing the stannous chloride is continuously withdrawn. In this manner, continuous operation of the cell has been attained experimentally at current densities as high as to amperes per square foot of cathode superficial area and with current efliciencies in the neighborhood of 90%, utilizing a porous carbonaceous cathode, an electrolyte containing 73 grams of hydrochloric acid and 100 grams of SnCl4-5Hz0 per liter. No diaphragm need be used, and elimination of the' diaphragm decreases the operating voltage of the cell.

In, an analogous manner, a nitrate, such as sodium nitrate, may be reduced to mtrite in an alkaline medium at a porous cathode I2 throughwhich electrolyte ll containing the nitrite is continuously withdrawn. The operating voltag of the cell may be lowered, and the current efficiencyandpercentage conversion of nitrate to nitrite may be increased' by incorporating a suitable metallic catalyst, such as copper or silver, in the, porous cathode. For instance, using an electrolyte containing 43 grams of sodium nitrate and grams of sodium hydroxide per liter, and a immersed a porous cathode l2 anda nonporous anode l3, and a Fig. 2 represents diagrammatically in vertical cross section an electrolytic cell similar to that shown in Fig. 1 except that it v contains two porous electrodes l2 and 22. r

An aqueous solution of stannic chloridelmay be reduced'at a cathode to stannous chloride, and this method has been used. In known processes; however, continuous operation is not feasible without the use of a diaphragm.

According to" the present invention, and

with I superficial area of cathode, the following cell voltages, current efliciencies, and percentages of conversion of nitrate to nitrite at a porous car-'-- bonaceous cathode have been observed eXperi mentally:

Voltage Efficiency Conversion Percent I Percent Without catalyst-.." 3.0 20' 4 With Cu catalyst 2. 5 50 20 With Ag catalyst 2. 1 85 85 No diaphragm need be used in this process. A solution containing a soluble bisulflte, such as an alkaline metal'bisulfite, with or without an alkaline metal s'ulfite, may likewise be electrolyzed min a cell similar to that showh in Fig. 1, the

hyposulfitethereby formed at a porous cathode I! being promptly withdrawn'through that oathode. In this manner, a relatively highly. concentra ted. product can be obtained continuously, even at high current densities.- High'cur-rentefliciencies and high percentage conversion to hyposulfite can be attained. No diaphragm is needed to prevent anodic reoxidation of the product; but under some. conditions it may be particular reference to Fig. 1, stannic chloride desirable to use a diaphragm to minimize anodic oxidation of the original ingredients of the electrolyte ll.

A product containing 60 grams of sodium hyposulflte per liter has been obtained by using current densities of 46 to 92 amperes per square foot at a porous carbonaceous cathode, the current efliciencies in these instances being between 90% and 100%. In another instance, a product containing 132, grams of sodium bisulfite was obtained during operation at 7 0., with a cathode current density of 92 amperes per square foot and a current emciency of 80%.

It may be desirable on occasion to use a cell as shown in Fig. 2, containing a porous cathodel2 and a porous anode 22. For instance, catholyte containing hyposulflte may be withdrawn continuously through the cathode i2, and anolyte may be withdrawn continuously or intermittently through the anode 22 to eliminate or to control the amount of anodically oxidized materials in the main body of the electrolyte ii. Alternatively, fresh electrolyte, for instancea sulflte or sulfltebisulfite solution, may be introduced into the cell it) through the porous anode 22, and in such,- instance the acid formed by oxidation at the anode will pass to the cathode where it is used in the production of hyposulfite according to the reaction:

In general, it is preferred to pass the reactant, or product, as the case may be, through the porous electrode at at least the rate required to supply, or remove, the material in question as rapidly as it is needed, or formed, at the active electrode surface. In many instances it will be advantageous to exceed such rate.

Although various porous materials may be used as the cathode material, we prefer to use a carbonaceous material having a porosity above 35% (preferably between 40% and 70%) calculated as follows: porosity=il (reai density-apparent density) -:real density. Further, the electrode material should have an air permeability Type Porosity g fig Percent We have also found that the'pores of the elecporous material gives forth a cloud of small bubbles over its entire surface, while the leaky material gives a. number of separate streams of bubbles issuing from the larger fissures and voids.

Another test for uniformity of porosity of these materials comprisesdetermining the flow of a viscous liquid, such as a concentrated aqueous solution of cane sugar, under a moderate pressure, for instance a head of about six inches, through a thin (e. g. one-eighth inch) section of the material. Any relatively large fissures permit flow of, the solution and are thereby made evident.

Porous electrode material within this invention may be made from comminuted solid carbonaceous material (for example, coke, graphite, or charcoal) and a porous carbonaceous binder (for instance, baked tar or pitch). Suitable methods for making such electrode material are described in U. S. Patent 1,988,478, issued on January 22, i

Other embodiments of the invention are contemplated by us. For instance, polarization at either or both of the electrodes, which increases the resistance and opposes the flow of electric current, may be diminished by passing a fluid, which may be either a liquid or a gas, through the porous electrode into the cell or bywithdrawing electrolyte containing a depolarizer from the cell through the porous electrodes, thereby decreasing the concentration of material next to the electrode.

Although several specific processes have herein been described in detail, it will readily. be understood that these descriptions are presented only by way of examples illustrating certain aspects of the invention, and that the invention is not limited to or by such examples. Furthermore, although one shape of electrode is shown in the attached drawing as an example, the invention is not limited to that or any other speciflc shape. For instance, under some circum-' stances it may be desired to provide non-porous portions in the electrode, or to adopt a special shape, in order to regulate the distribution of trode material should be relatively minute and uniformly distributed, and not large, scattered voids and. fissures. Material having the latter kind of pores might be described as leaky" rather than porous." The relative uniformity of fluid flowing through the electrode, or for another reason. It may also be advantageous to place a porous electrode or electrodes, not provided with a central well I! or 23, at the end or ends of the cell container Ill in such a manner that a space is left between the electrode and the container, which space may be used to serve the functions of the central well H or 23 described herein.

' we claim:

1. Method of reducing a water soluble inorganic salt or an element of variable valency in a high valency state to a salt of such element in a lower 1 and 70% and an air permeability valency state which Comprises cell containing an anode .andea porous carbon cathode composed of comminuted solid carbon in a uniformly finely porous binder, said cathode having a porosity between 35% and 70% and an air permeability above 15, whereby the salt is reduced at the cathode, and withdrawing through electrolyzing an aqueous solution of said salt in an electrolytic the pores of said cathode catholyte containing the reduced salt, such withdrawal being prompt,

whereby only partial reduction of the of said element takes place.

2. Methodof reducing a water soluble stannic salt which comprises electrolyzing an aqueous solution of said stannic salt 'in an electrolytic valency cell containing an anode and a porous carbonaceous cathdde having a porosity between 35% above l, and consisting of comminuted solid carbon in a porous carbon binder, whereby stannic salt is reduced to stannous salt, and withdrawing through he pores of said cathode catholyte containing said stannous salt.

3. Method of reducing stannic chloride to stannous chloride which comprises passing anelectric current through an electrolyte, containing stannic chloride, between an anode and a porous cathode, said cathode having a porosity between 40% and70% and an air permeability above 30 and comprising comminuted solidcarbonaceous material and a uniformly porous carbonaceous binder, whereby stannic chloride is reduced to stannous chloride at said cathode, and continuously withdrawing through the pores of said cathode catholyte containing said stannous chloride. e v J 4. Method of producing a water soluble in-' organic nitrite from a water soluble inorganic nitrate which comprises passing an electric .current through an aqueous electrolyte, containingsaid water soluble nitrate, between an anode and a porous cathode having a porosity between 35% and 70% and an air permeability above 15 and consisting of comminuted solid carbon in a porous carbon binder, whereby nitrate is reduced to nitrite at the cathode; and withdrawing through the pores 'of'said cathode catholyte containing said nitrite. I

5. Method of reducing an alkaline metal inorganic nitrate to alkaline metal nitrite which comprises passing an electric current through an electrolyte, containing alkaline metal nitrate, between an anode and a porous cathode, said cathode having a poiosity between 40% and 70% and an air permeability above 30 and, comprising a metallic catalyst, comminuted solid carbonaceous material, and a uniformly porous carbonaceous binder, whereby said nitrate is reduced to nitrite, and continuously withdrawing through the pores of said cathode catholyte containing said nitrite.

6. Method of producing a water soluble hyposulfite which comprises passing an electric current through an aqueous electrolyte, containing a soluble bisulfite, between an anode and a porous cathode having a. porosity between 35% and 70% and an air permeability above and composed of comminuted solid carbon in a porous carbon binder, whereby the bisulfite is reduced to hyposulfite at the cathode, and passing through the A pores of said cathode electrolyte containing said 7. Method of producing sodium hyposulfite which comprises passing an electric current through an aqueous electrolyte, containing s'o dium bisulfite, between an anode and a porous cathode, said cathode having a porosity above 35% and an air permeability above15 and comprising comminuted solid carbonaceous material and a porous carbonaceous binder having uniformly distributed pores, whereby sodium bisulfite is reduced at said cathode to hyposulfite,

and continuously withdrawing through the pores of 'said cathode sulflte.

8. Method of producing sodium. hyposulfite which comprises passing an electric current through an aqueous electrolyte, containing sodium bisulfite and sodium sulfite, between a porcatholyte containing said hypoous anode'and a porous cathode, whereby sodium v posulfite is'produced at the cathode; continuously supplying to said cell through said anode an aqueous electrolyte containing sodium bisulfite and sodium sulfite; and withdrawing through thevpores of the porous cathode catholyte containing said sodiumhyposulfite.

10. Method as defined in claim 9, wherein the anode has a porosity between 40% and and an air permeability above 30 and comprises comminuted solid carbonaceous material anda porous carbonaceous binder having uniformlydistributed pores. I

MILTON JANES.

GEORGE w. HEISEJ v CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,275,799. February 1' 7, 19142.

MILTON JANES; ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as foilows: Page 5; second column, line 51, claim 9, after the word "hyposuli'ite" and before the period insert said porous cathodehavingaporo'sity between 55% and 70% and an air permeability above 50 and comprising comminuted solid carbon in a porous carbon binder having uniformly distributed pores--; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the- Patent Office.

Signed and sealed his 21st day of April, A. D. 19h2.

v Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

